Recent FAQs

Sigh….if only we could control the weather for our vacations…..but since we can’t, you need to prepare for any likely eventuality, which — if you’re traveling during the months in which you might get a blizzard — means checking the weather reports voraciously, and considering staying at an on-airport hotel (or one that is very close) the night before your flight, because missing a flight can get very, very expensive, unless of course you have a good travel insurance policy.

Note: While there is still a chance that the blizzard might result in cancelled flights even if you’re at the airport on time, at least in that case you’ll have some recourse as many resorts will allow you to change your arrival date by one day without any penalty when your flight is cancelled.

Regardless of how a missed flight happens, this is where it really pays to have booked with a travel agent – they can help you out in a jam by checking all of your flight options and re-booking you, as well as contacting the resort on your behalf. If you didn’t, contact the company or resort you booked with right away to find out your options for changing your arrival date and airport transfers, and call your airline right away to find out what you can do — but be prepared to pay a change fee at the very least, and likely a ‘difference-in-fare’ fee, and that’s IF they can get you on another flight.

A great option is ParkSleepFly – they offer packages on Airport hotels that include free parking for your car and a shuttle to the airport……also great for those who have a long drive to the airport, or who have a hard time getting up for an early flight.

Easy! Just sign up for our mailing list (in the footer of every page on our site)…..we send out an email to our subscribers to let them know about new (upcoming) deals – often before they are posted to our website. By finding out sooner, you’re more likely to be able to take advantage of the deal and not find out that the rooms are all booked up!

Even taking recent events into account, Cancun, Mexico is less dangerous than many cities in the U.S.

A quick review of recorded crime statistics shows that there is less crime and violence in Mexico than there is in the U.S. and an even lower rate of violent crime in the popular tourist areas of Mexico.

Cancun and other resort destinations in Mexico rely on tourism as their primary (and in some cases, only) economy……everyone from the Mexican police to the average Cancun citizen takes the safety of tourists very seriously – crime there could have a huge negative impact on their jobs, so they work hard to combat it!

Does that mean there is *no* crime? No, but as long as you’re being as smart as you’d be anywhere (not going out alone at night, not flashing loads of cash, etc. – be sure to read our post on how to avoid travel scams!), you’ll be as safe (if not more so) than you are at home.

Maybe. It depends on your state and whether the driver’s license you’re issued is in compliance with the REAL ID Act, which since 2005 has been a federal standard for photo identification.

KEY DATES:

Beginning on January 22, 2018, domestic air travelers from states that are not compliant and have NOT been granted an extension will need to show an ‘alternate form of acceptable identification“, of which one is a Passport (book or card).

Beginning on October 1, 2020, ALL domestic air travelers will need a REAL ID compliant driver’s license or one of the aforementioned acceptable methods of identification.

Remember that if you leave the U.S., you’ll still need a Passport to return – that won’t be effected by the REAL ID Act.

Here’s why: As with previous mosquito-borne viruses — such as malaria, dengue, West Nile virus,and yellow fever — Zika virus will eventually spread around the globe, and even climates that have no mosquitoes won’t be entirely safe from it as travelers will bring it home with them.

What’s important to remember: For most people not only is the risk of infection minimal, but if you do get bitten by a Zika-carrying mosquito the effects are generally mild and no worse than any other flu. Those at higher risk include women who are pregnant and couples who are trying to get pregnant, as the Zika virus has been linked to birth defects, including microcephaly. The CDC (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention) advises those women/couples to avoid travel to areas where Zika has been reported.

Every resort has their own moniker, but whether they call it “all inclusive”, “awe inclusive”, “ultra inclusive”, or whatever, the bottom line is that it doesn’t include *everything*, but pretty darn close to it.

What’s included: To qualify as an all-inclusive, a resort has to include all food, all beverages including alcoholic ones (but the brands of alcohol carried will differ from a two-star resort to a five-star resort – at the lower end of resorts you’ll find only local beers, wines, and spirits or sometimes those of a inexpensive US brand, at the high end of the scale you’ll find top-shelf US brands and more ), daily and/or nightly entertainment, and many activities of both the land (yoga and other fitness classes, cooking or language lessons, tennis, bicycling, etc.) and water (snorkeling, kayaking, pool or beach volleyball, etc.) varieties.

What’s not included: The things they can upsell you on such as Spa Treatments, off-site excursions and tours, golf, scuba diving, or deep sea fishing. SOME resorts do include some of these things (such as an included golf package at Palace Resorts, or an unlimited dive package at Sandals Resorts, or even a Spa package at a destination Spa resort such as Miraval), but most All Inclusive resorts do charge for those add-ons.

To be 100% certain, ask your travel agent for a complete list of what’s included when you get a vacation quote.

This happens more frequently than many realize……”Yikes! I got married and changed my drivers license but not my passport – what now?!?”

BUT, this is a biggie — make no mistake, you MUST ensure that your names match on both your airline ticket and your passport! If they don’t, then one or the other must be changed, which generally incurs a fee. AND in case you’re wondering, if you’re a U.S. citizen, you cannot travel outside of the US or its territories without a passport any longer – it’s required to return the the U.S., no exceptions…..so don’t think that because you changed your driver’s license that will suffice — it won’t.

Depending on how much time you have before you travel (at least 3 months or more), it’s better to change the name on your Passport, because you’ll need to change it eventually anyway (you have up to one year after marriage to change your passport if you changed your name).

Tight on time? You can get a new passport in as little as 8 days by going to a Department of State Passport Agency, but that does require an appointment and proof of immediate international travel, along with paying the expedite fee, or you can expedite the mailing of your new passport (2 to 3 week turnaround time) by simply paying the extra expedite fee in addition to the normal application processing fee when you apply or renew by mail.

If you’re short on time, it may be faster and less expensive to have your airline change the name on your ticket, but each airline has their own policies and fees (which are generally less than the expedite fee for a new passport!). Check with your travel agent or directly with your airline to explore this option.

Lastly, remember that your Passport MUST be valid for a period FOLLOWING your return flight — usually for at least 6 months after — but be sure to check with your travel agent as that date can vary depending on what country you’re visiting.

Primarily because Americans are simply so accustomed to it….so we do it even when we don’t need to.

At *most* all-inclusive resorts, the ‘tips’ are included in your package prices so you don’t NEED to shove a dollar at the bartender/waitress/porter. And at some of those resorts, employees are not supposed to accept tips, so it’s important to know before you go.

So even though it’s NOT expected, does it get you better service? Eh…the jury is still out on that – the wait-staff at all-inclusive resorts really cannot afford to have any unhappy guests, so they certainly won’t ignore the non-tippers, and I’ve personally observed them treating both tippers and non-tippers with equal care and service, so my advice is that you should only tip if you really, really want to reward someone, but be sure you won’t jeopardize their job if you do.